Safety razor



June 8, 1943. F. J. 'ARpNER SAFETY RAZOR Filed April 11. 1940 Z ,24 /aa n n n n n )n/rl n INVENTOR fray/* 7,: Hryer:

ATTORNEYS.

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Patented June 8, 1943 5 SAFETY RAZOR Frank J. Ardner, Highland Park, Mich., assigner to Leonard A. Young, Detroit, Mich.

Application April 11, 1940, Serial No. 329,046

4 Claims.

This invention relates to razors and more particularly to an improved safety razor and a blade therefor. n

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved safety razor and a built-up blade therefor having interchangeable cutting edges or bits. l

Another object of the invention is to provide 4a safety razor and a blade therefor, which may be readily disassembled into separate parts which may be easily cleaned or sterilized.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved razor blade bit which because of its improved construction may be made at a very low cost from the beststeel to give a very sharp and durable cutting edge.

A still further object of the invention is to l'provide an improved razor blade bit and a holder therefor, thus providing a built-up safety razor blade which in its operation and appearance resembles a conventional blade, but which permits removal of its cutting bits for sharpening, honing, or replacement.

A smi further object of the invention is to provide an improved built-up or articulated blade having interchangeable cutting edges,

-which blade may be used in known types of eX- isting safety razors.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved razor blade of the foregoing character, which blade is simple in construction, safe and sanitary in use, and is relatively inexpensive toV manufacture.

The present application is related to. my copending applications Serial Nos. 329,045 and 329,632, and to the application of Leonard A. Young Serial No. 329,019.

Other objects of this invention will appear in -the following description and appended claims, Vreference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate correspondthe arrows on the section plane passing through the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; Y

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a built-up blade holder Vof a modied construction, the bit being shown in the process of honing; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the blade shown in Fig. 5, said view being taken in the direction of the arrows on the transverse section plane passing through the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of 'parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention other than by the scope of the subjoined claims.

In the drawing there is shown by way of example a built-up blade embodying the present invention, the same being shown in connection with a known doubleblade type of safety razor holder. The blade herein illustrated and described is adapted for use in the safety razor herein shown. It will be understood, however, that. numerous modifications in the blade for adapting it to safety razors of various designs may be made without departing from my inventive concept. For example, slots and holes of various configurations for holding the blade in a razor may be cut in ablade in order to 4adapt the same for use in a particular type of safety razor. Instead of holes, beads, hooks, or the like may also be provided.

Referring to the drawing, the safety razor illustrated therein comprises a base piece IIJ having two working sides IIJa and IDb alongwhich protective lugs II are provided. The base piece cooperates with a guard I2 adapted to fit over the base piece I0 and having an externally threaded extension I3 passing through a central hole I4 of the base piece I0 and engaging an internally threaded member I5a forming a part of a handle designated generally by the numeral I5. When the handle I5 is turned, the guard I2 is drawn against the base piece to hold securely in place the blade generally indicated by the numeral I6 or to push said guard away from said base piece for disassembling the razor. In order to prevent undesirable relativerotation of the base piece I0 and the guard I2, the guard l2 is provided with two guide lugs Il adapted to enter suitable holes (not shown) in the base piecelo. The blade I6 comprises generallyaholder and interchangeable cutting edgesadapted to be held therein. In the presentembodiment, the holder comprises two substantially similar piecesfZIla and 2.0b, said pieces being connected t'ogetherin any suitable manner such as by providing a lockingilange 2| on the piece 20a adapted lto overlie the edges of the piece 2Gb. The holder is pierced to provide a slot 22 of any desired shape for accommodation of the blade in a safety razor of a particular type. Y

Along the sides of the holder the pieces Bild and 20h are bent to provide Ways 23 adapted to receive the raised beads 24a of the interchangeable cutting edges or bits 24.

The cutting bits 2B each comprise a relatively narrow strip of metal having sharpened` edges 24h. The bits may be inserted into the holder from its sides by directing the raised beads 24a into the Ways 23 and applying light pressure on the end of the bit. The holder half-pieces 20a and 2b have sufficient resiliency to pinch the cutting bits 24 and to hold them'in place, preventing their falling out or sliding inthe ways 23.

The cutting bits 24 may be removed from the holder for turning the sharp edge outwardly and concealing the dull edge within the holder or for interchanging the cutting bits. Changing of the bits requires pulling them from the holder and inserting new bits thereinto.

From an examination of Fig. 3 it will be seen that the built-up razor blade embodying the l present invention resembles in its appearance a conventional razor blade usually made of very thin sheet steel, and that it may be used in conventional razors. Provision of the interchangeable cutting edges or bits permits economical use of thev blade in that a total' of four cutting edges is provided 'as against the ltwo cutting edges provided in 'razor blades of conventional design. In vieW'f the fact that vthe holder is used repeatedly and only the small cutting bits are replaced and discarded from time to time, a considerable saving in steel is effected over the use of blades of 'conventional design inwhich the entire blade `is replaced and discarded. In addition, the bit and dimensions'ajconventional' razor blade, it may be readily honed in Ydevices used for such 't blades. Y

Figs. 5 and illustrate a blade' holder having only `one WorkingY side and adapted to hold only one interchangeable -two-side cutting bit'. As

'shown `in Figs. 5 and 6, the blade holder 25 illustrated therein 'comprises 'a holder 2t made of a single piece of sheet metal turned upon itself to form two blade-holding lips, said lips being formed by stamping to provide along their working sides ways 21 similar to ways 23 of the structure shown in Figs. '3 and 4. A cutting bit 2B held by said'lips is similar to the cutting bits 24 of the structure of Figs'and 4. With'a blade `of such`a construction itshoning may be' accomplished by hand on any suitable honing member in the Way indicated in Fig. 5. 1

It will be observed that 'the construction of each of the bits 24 is such that they may 'readily be formed of a relatively thick metal stock and thus provide a cutting edge 'of increased rigidity over conventional types of safety razor blade cutting edges. The increased thickness of the metal st'ockalso permits the shaping of the actual cutting edge to correspond toa hollow ground cutting blade, which shape, as is known, provides a very satisfactory cutting edge. In addition, the raised beads 24a extending longitudinally of each bit 24 act to further stiffen each bit. The holder is so formed as to be relatively more resilient than are the bits 24 and thus the built-up blades of the present invention possess the desired properties of a readily flexible and resilient body portion and rigid cutting edge portions. The result of this combination of features is a more efficient shaving blade than has heretofore been provided. Also it is to be noted that the construction here disclosed provides in a preferred embodiment a total of four separate shaving edges in each blade, any one of which is readily available to the user. It is to be understood that the particular form of cutting bit here shown is but one preferred type of such bit which may be used and that other forms of bits, such forexample as several of the forms shown in my copending related application Serial No. 329,632, may be used in place of the bits here shown.

1. A safety razor blade comprising a relatively resilient clamping member forming the body portion of said blade and comprising a pair of detachably interlocked relatively thin resilient metal plates formed to, provide a longitudinally extending clamping channel on each longitudinal edge thereof each of which is adapted to removably hold a cutting bit, and a relatively rigid interchangeable cutting bit secured Ain each of said clamping channels.

2. A safety razor blade comprising a relatively resilient clamping member forming the body portion of said blade'and comprising a pair of detachably interlocked relatively thin 'resilient 4of said 'clamping members thereby to hold said cutting bits injsaidbodyportion and to expose (one cutting `'edge'of' said bit and to Venclose the Vother 'cutting' edge tlfiereofv in'saidholder and out of blade dulling contact therewith.

3. A safety razor bladecomprising spaced relatively resilient, longitudinally stifEened, clamping Ways `extending along each longitudinal'edge of 'the body portion ofsaid blade, and a relatively rigid, interchangeable cutting bit having an intermediate'longitudinal'bead thereon and removably secured in each o f said Ways by'a resilient gripping 'contact between said Ways and said intermediate longitudinal bead.

4. In a safety razor including a blade holding headand a handle adapted'to be connected to said head; 'a builtupblade adapted to be held in said headg, lsaid'blade 'comprising'two opposed sheet metal pieces detachably connected together, opposed channels formed on said pieces alongl the longitudinal edgesA thereof, each pair of 'said channels comprising a Vlongitudinal Abit-'holding way, and ja 'cutting bit fha'vin'g 'anintermed'ate longitudinal bead insertedY into each of said channels and removably held therein by frictional contact .between said way vand said "bead,

FRANK-J. RDNER. 

